


Top Secret

by Jxjxjx



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28764261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jxjxjx/pseuds/Jxjxjx
Summary: Lin and Tenzin go undercover. Bad summary, I know.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Tenzin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

"So, what do you think?" Sokka asked, looking at the other faces sitting around the table. It was late and the darkness outside seemed to hang around them like a fog. The orange glow from one lamp gave their faces and the room an ominous light. He tapped in fingers lightly together a nervous habit he had picked up. They had to agree because he didn't have another plan, if they didn't.

"I just don't know." Katara sighed, wrapping her fingers tightly around her mug. "Are they ready? They're just kids after all." Sokka wasn't surprised by her reluctance. She was the most overprotective of them all when it came to their kids. He had known that his sister would be the hardest to convince but he had a pretty good feeling he would be able to.

"Barely, sweetness." Toph scoffed, beating Sokka to the punch. "Yeah sure let 'em." She said waving her hand. In her normal fashion Toph had her feet up on an empty chair, a compromise between her and Katara, and her arms crossed.

"But they would be on their own for a few months. If something went wrong." Katara fretted. Sokka swallowed she had hit his own number one concern with the plan. They would have next to no contact with them for weeks at a time and if something did go wrong they would have no idea or be able to help without causing a major international incident.

"Eh, they'll be fine." Toph shrugged, then a thought occurred to her. "Oh shit I'd lose Lin's babysitting. Maybe not such a good idea Sokka." She said waving a finger a few inches to his left. Katara sent her a mild glare at her priorities and Sokka rolled his eyes at Toph's questionable parenting.

"What do you think, Aang?" Sokka asked his brother in law who had been quiet up until now.

"We need to do something and I think this is our best option." Aang said, his tone was quiet but his voice was clear. "Lin wants to be a cop, let her see if she likes it. Tenzin is ready for the trails, let this be it. They are best friends, they will take care of each other."

Sokka nodded at Aang's assessment, it had been his too. Not to mention both 16 year olds acted more like 30 years olds. Tenzin and Lin could handle this as well as anyone. "So?" he asked.

Katara closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose you're right. Okay, I agree"

"Toph?"

Toph sighed. "Yeah sure, I suppose I'll find someone else to watch Su."

* * *

Tenzin fidgeted, drumming his fingers on the couch's armrest and resting the urge to tap his foot, so as to not get yelled at by his best friend. Lin for her part was scowling out the window just as impatient as he was. They were both in Uncle Sokka's living room waiting for him and their parents to show up to this meeting that they had called this afternoon. It was an odd place to meet normally they would meet at his home on air temple island but not this time. Tenzin supposed they both should have known better than to expect their parents and uncle to show up on time. Toph was never on time to anything and both his dad and uncle were famous for getting side tracked. His mom was normally on time but she was at the hospital today so her normal punctuality was in flux. How both he and Lin had been born with the need to be at least five minutes early to everything was a freak genetic mutation as far as he could figure out.

Almost predictably his mother was the first to arrive only 10 minutes late. "Sorry, I ran over at work." she said coming into the room, her face flush from rushing over in the heat of the summer. "Where's everyone?" she asked.

"Not here." Lin answered.

Katara groaned. "I swear, they will be late to their own funerals." She muttered only half under her breath. "I told your mother 3 on purpose hoping that she would be on time if she thought she was half an hour late!" She complained, throwing her bag down on the chair across from them. "And Sokka, this was his idea and Aang is with him!"

Lin shrugged and Tenzin nodded in sympathy, both knew better than to comment as not to really get Katara going on this topic.

"I hope this won't ruin any plan the two of you might have had." Katara says making small talk as they wait for the rest of their family members to arrive.

"None that I wanted to have," Lin said easily. "You got me out of being dragged on a double date tonight."

"Oh but that sounds fun. Do you not like the guy?" His mother asks.

Lin shrugs. "Don't know. I only met the guy my friend is dating, but I don't like him so don't have high hopes for his friend." she explains. Tenzin tooned them out, he really didn't want to hear about Lin's dating life. He wasn’t up to date with everything going on in Lin’s life right now, as he had been traveling with his dad over the summer for the last few months. He had missed his friend and was now reminded of the gap that had grown between the two in the months that past. Another fifteen minutes go by before Aang, Toph and Sokka all come through the door.

"Well, nice of you to join us." Katara says giving the trio an unimpressed look and crossing her arms.

"We thought it would be best to make sure Toph could get away from the station and-" Sokka started.

"Save it" Katara sighed uninterested in whatever excuse the three had.

"Told ya, she wouldn't believe you two bozoos." Toph said putting her feet up on the coffee table.

"Sorry honey" Aang said, kissing Katara's cheek before taking his own seat.

Sokka was the only one left standing and everyone turned to him expectantly. "Thank you all for coming," He started. "What I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance and can _Not_ leave the six of us here." Tenzin was leaning forward interested now. "We need both of you to go to school."

"Uh we already do that." Tenzin said, confused.

"Yeah I think you have us confused with your other kids." Lin added on sarcastically.

"Your uncle is being dramatic." Katara said dryly, rolling her eyes at her brother. "We need you to switch schools, you're going to go to school in Ba Sing Sa actually. if you agree."

Both Lin and Tenzin shared a confused look. "What do you mean? Like we're moving?" Lin asked, looking between the four adults. Tenzin couldn't imagine moving after all the four of them had founded Republic City and Toph and Sokka helped to run the young city. This is where air temple island was and where all of his family and friends were. Sure he traveled with his dad but he liked coming back home to his friends and family.

"Well, you two yes. You will start this upcoming school year at the royal earth kingdom military academy." Sokka told them.

This confused the pair even more. "But you guys don't like the earth king." Tenzin said tentatively . "And air benders are supposed to be non violent." he directed the last part towards his father.

"There's more to it than that son, but yes you're right." Aang said, speaking for the first time.

"This is a top secret undercover operation we are asking you to take on." Sokka told them seriously. "Before we tell you anymore, are you in?"

Tenzin looked over at Lin, her jaw was set in determination and he knew that they were in. If one of them was in the other was too, he wouldn't leave her to do this all alone. Besides, he couldn't say he wasn't interested or curious too. He nodded and speaks for both of them. "Yes, we're in."

A relieved smile flashed across his uncle's face for a split second. "Good. Thank you." he told them, turning serious again.

"What exactly are we signing up for?" Lin asked.

"We think the earth kingdom could be creating a secret army again. Including brainwashing young men into becoming soldiers." Sokka began. "They are brainwashing lower class men into fighting but they are also recruiting top young earth kingdom talent from the military academy to lead them."

“Wait, like that Ju Li story you told a million times?” Lin asked. Tenzin had been thinking along the same lines as Lin. Brainwashing seemed like the impossible to him not that he thought his parents would lie to him for years but come on it was a little far-fetched.

“Yes, the Di Li brainwashed a friend of ours too, Jet. Once they have you they can control you and the mind control is very hard to break.” Katara told them. Both he and Lin stilled on the couch at her words. 

"So you want us to be students there and get recruited to see if that is true?" Tenzin asked, beginning to catch on to the plan.

"Yes, we need to find out what the intention of the crown is. It is well known that the earth kingdom aristocracy doesn't like the new United Republic formed of the old fire nation colonies. We need to know if they plan on moving against us or if there is some other goal they have in mind." Sokka told them. He began laying on the timeline of when they were leaving and the covers. He gave them a folder to learn by heart about the supposed new cadets they were about to become. Tenzin was excited now about it. This sounded like a story straight out of one of the spy novels he had read. Stories of seduction and espionage with double agents and enemy agents around every corner played through his mind all night. He imagined he and Lin sneaking around the palace trying to get the top secret scroll. He knew they could do this, they worked well together and together would accomplish their mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** I did update ch 1 nothing major but fixed a few thing I mention everything I added in here but POV changes.

Today's the day, Lin thought laying in bed staring up at the ceiling. She had been excited about the mission until now. She excited to finally show she wasn't a kid anymore and could handle herself. This was her chance to prove to her mom and everyone else how good she was. Yet, the nerves had begun to set in yesterday. Now she was biding her time getting up knowing that once she left her bed it would be nearly six months before she came home to it again. Well, at least she wasn't going to be alone, Tenzin would be coming with her. The two hadn't seen each other much in the week since Tenzin had gotten back to the city and Uncle Sokka had given them this mission. She had missed him over the summer. She could have used his help dealing with her idiot friends who were all boy crazy it seemed.

Her door banged open and her 10 year old baby sister Su ran in. "Linnn!" Su cried, running and jumping on her bed.

"Ugh, Su!" Lin groaned at the 10 year old kneed her in the side. "Be careful."

"Sorry," Su replied, crawling up next to her. "Mom says you have to get up."

"Well you have to get off of me then." Lin sighed.

Su didn't budge from her position. "Do you have to go?" she asked quietly.

Lin sighed. She felt bad lying to her baby sister about where she was going and why but she couldn't tell her the truth. "Yes, I'll be back soon though."

"Maybe me and Mom could come visit you." Su suggested.

"Maybe…" Lin said not wanting to break the little girl's heart. Su spent most of her time outside of school and her after school club with Lin as Mom was almost never home until dinner at the earliest. Su liked to follow her around everywhere which Lin normally didn't mind. 

"Come on, I gotta get up and then I'll make pancakes for breakfast." Lin said which did the trick of getting the kid excited again.

Lin ate only a little at breakfast blaming the nerves for her poor appetite. She was just lucky she so far had been able to control her breathing and heartbeat enough that her mom was obvious to her nervousness so far or at least didn't comment on it. They were on their way to meet up with Tenzin on air temple island for a final goodbye before Lin and Tenzin would head alone to the train station before heading on to Omashu and then Ba Sing Sa from there. Uncle Sokka had thought of everything and had prepped them on how to make it look like they had never been to Republic City or any part of the United Republic before in their lives was very important.

Tenzin's family was predictably far more emotional about the pair leaving than her mother had been. Lin had just gotten a 'see ya kid' and punched in the arm. Su had hugged her for a while but at least Sokka was there to entertain Su so she would sulking. Kya and Bumi weren't there and Lin missed the levity the siblings always brought to these things. Instead Katara and Aang were all misty eyed about their baby leaving on his own and them being empty nesters. Lin was still getting over how weird it was to see him without a shaved head for the first time since they were ten. Back then he had a messy mop of dark hair that flopped in his eyes and half the time looked like a bad wig or Kya had gotten a little too overzealous styling it. She was surprised to find how that had changed. Now he looked older and like every other high born distinguished young man in the earth kingdom if it wasn't for the gray eyes. To her chrigin his close crossed dark hair suited him quite a bit, but the fact he wasn't in oversize bright orange pajamas might also help she quickly thought catching herself.

They headed off to the train station first stop was Omashu before buying new train tickets to Ba Sing Sa. Neither Tenzin or Lin had ever been to Omashu and Lin hadn't been to Ba Sing Sa in a few years but she knew of her mom's and the rest of the extended family's disdain for the city and the monarchy. She was excited to be able to see more of the city this time than she had when all the world leaders had gathered in Ba Sing Sa to commemorate the liberation of the city 25 years ago. She knew Tenzin had been there with his Dad at least once since that, but Ba Sing Sa was so huge he knew the city no better than she. She tore her eyes away from the window to look at Tenzin. She could tell he was nervous like she was just by the way he was sitting.

"You ready for this?" She asked breaking the silence that they had sat in since the train had left the station.

He looked over at her. "As much as I'm going to be I guess." He said, shrugging.

"At least you've done more of this." Lin sighed glancing around at the other passengers in the first class car.

"What? No! No way, definitely nothing like this." He protested immediately. "I've never been undercover."

Lin rolled her eyes. "No duh but you've been around politicians way more than me and you've traveled with you Dad, you know, the Avatar." She said the last part sarcastically knowing he liked being reminded of that just as much as she did about her own mom.

Tenzin rolled his eyes too. "Yeah but, you know I just stand there." he said looking down. "I don't actually like do anything." Lin thought about arguing that because that was not the case but let the conversation drop.

* * *

Tenzin stared out the window at the rolling countryside as they approached Omashu. They had fallen back into a heavy silence after talking about their brief conversation. Tenzin discreetly glanced over at Lin every now and then. He wished he could think of something to say, the silence wasn't awkward but he didn't like it. Ever since he had left over winter break last year he felt like they took longer to become close again every time he left. He had only been back a little over a week and they weren't back to being close friends yet. He hadn't told her half of what had happened while he was with his dad over the summer. Why? he had no idea, but their relationship was shifting. He could feel it and he hoped it wasn't his fault. He hoped he wasn't pushing her further away because that was not what he wanted.

The train lurched to a stop just outside the wall of Omashu as they prepared to enter. He and Lin sat up in anticipation of the mission finally beginning as the city loomed over them. "You go right to the hotel and check in first." Lin told him. "I'll check in a little behind you and find your room."

Tenzin stepped out of the train and onto the much smaller and more crowded streets of Omashu. He made his way to the five star hotel they were staying at for the night. He tried to act as normal as possible and as dignified as possible like he saw all the politicians at the dinners and balls he had been to as he checked in. He nearly runs into a bag boy and he can feel his cheeks flush. This is not how it's supposed to go. He can't blow his cover before he's even undercover, He yells at himself silently. The hotel is only second to the fire nation royal palace and the earth king's palace in the nicest place he's been. His father was a monk and didn't believe in finery and worldly possession and his mother preferred a simpler life. He let himself into his room and breathed out a sigh of relief. This was going to be a long first semester if it was going to be like this everyday. He tried to meditate while waiting for Lin to calm his mind but he just could not. In the books he read it always seemed so easy to sneak into the enemy camp and steal the battle plans unseen. In reality he was a nervous, unsure reck 90% of the time. There was a quick knock on the door and he opened right away knowing it was Lin.

"You should be more careful." She said right away raising an eyebrow at him. "what if it wasn't me? we're about to go look for people who want to attack us. You can't be that trusting airhead."

"I knew it was you." Tenzin shot back before he could stop himself even though she was right.

"How could you possibly be sure?" Lin retorted.

Tenzin really didn't want to say he knew her knock, he thought about telling her he could sense her and added in some air bender mystic stuff but she'd call bs. Instead he changed the subject. "Well it was you wasn't it. Anyway, what do you have?" he asked, gesturing at the paper bag she carried. He knew it was food, it smelled delicious and their light lunch and the fact that he hadn't eaten breakfast was taking over his senses.

"I picked up dinner." She said, raising the bag of food. "fried rice, our favorite." They both loved getting cheap street food fried rice in the city. The kind that came from those vendors that were either going to give you food poisoning or the best meal of your life. Lin passed him his food and they each took one of the beds and began eating sitting across from each other. After they had finished their food he asked. "Did you learn your new identity?"

"Yeah, I hope so at least." She replied letting out a nervous laugh. Sokka had given them both new identities to learn before they left. Lin had it pretty easy as she was still going to be a Biefong but was taking a new first name, Mei. She was a distant cousin of the famous Toph Beifong. She had been sent by her parents to the academy to raise their profile in the earth kingdom elite and to distance themselves from their cousin who had 'forgotten where she came from'.

Tenzin had a whole new identity, Tein Sung, the great nephew of late General Sung who notably fought in the hundred year war. He was the next in line to take over the family's proud military tradition. He of course would be a non bender and she just a slightly above average earth bender as not to draw unneeded attention and blow their cover. Lin also had the advantage that her grandparents had drilled into her etiquette and the knowledge of all the great families in the earth kingdom. Tenzin would have to learn fast who was important and who wasn't and he was worried about that. He was an airbender which was as far as you could get from the head on, proud and stoic earth kingdom soldiers. He knew some hand to hand combat but not enough to ever claim proficiency.

"You're nervous." Lin said after a beat and Tenzin realized he had completely zoned out of whatever she had been saying.

"of course, aren't you?" He asked.

"yeah terrified." Lin admitted. "If something goes wrong..." She trailed off. Tenzin knew her mother wasn't exactly liked in the earth kingdom elite even if her family was still very very rich and powerful.

"it'll be alright, we got this. How hard can military school be? Bumi did it." Tenzin said trying to joke a little but the squeak in his voice didn't make it sound like that.

Lin bit her lip. "Hard." she muttered. "Besides I hate this earth kingdom nobility thing almost as much as my mom and you aren't exactly the stoic strong type you're supposed to be here."

Tenzin looked down, he too was worried about that part. As an airbender he had been taught to be peaceful and thoughtful and most importantly violence was never the answer. That wasn't the way of the brash and strong earth kingdom. Young men were expected to be strong and never show emotion. Dueling and fighting were a major part of the culture among boys and young men. Tenzin had spent a good portion of his childhood getting teased by his brother, sister and even Lin about not being either of those things. "Well, hopefully the nerdy weak quiet kid will be good for gathering information after all who's going to pay any attention to me." he said shrugging.

"yeah, hopefully." Lin said in a way that didn't give Tenzin anymore confidence.

"Do you have any idea on how we're supposed to find out if the Dai Li are up to something again?" Tenzin asked.

"Nope, I mean get recruited but how? I have no idea." Lin shrugged.

"Maybe you could get them to notice you with your earth bending." Tenzin suggested. "They must be looking to bring in the best of the best."

"Yeah but my last name will still be Beifong. They'll be wary of that for sure." Lin pointed out. "You would be easier to get in, I think. They would have no idea who you really are."

"So you be a red herring, if you get it great. But I'll work under the radar to get close to whoever we figure out is a part of it." Tenzin told her.

"Yeah that's the best plan we got so far." Lin nodded along with his thinking. She stifled a yawn.

Tenzin was tired too, their journey here had taken more out of them than they had thought. Tenzin didn't really want her to go yet though. In his head he argued back and forth on to say it or not. Finally he did. "You can stay here if you want, there are two beds. And we have to leave together in the morning anyway."

Lin froze for a second. "Uh yeah sure. Save me from having to find my room again." She said awkwardly. Tenzin muttered out a 'yeah good'. He was secretly glad she was staying because he didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts all night and his anxiety made him unable to sleep. Just having another person in the room would be a comfort he thought and it was more practical anyway he reasoned.

-

-

-

The next morning they are back on the train in the first class car, both of them are dressed in simple but still very expensive earth kingdom suits on their way to Ba Sing Sa. Tenzin was still taken aback by the side of the city when they reached it. Ba Sing Sa was the biggest city in the world and it felt like it. They went through the lower and mid rings, Tenzin could see how the Dai Li would have no problem grabbing a few lower ring orphans and training them for their army. By contrast the upper ring was practically made of gold. The train stopped and he and Lin made their way to the platform. Lin lagged behind him and Tenzin looked back at her, shooting her a concerned look. 

“I got a bad feeling about this, Ten.” She told him quietly. Tenzin had been feeling nervous up until then but now he thought the gnawing in his stomach was trying to tell him something more.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay set up is done, up next new characters.


End file.
